Can Spouses and Dependents Work in Romania Under GEO 32/2026? What D/AM1 and D/AM2 Families Need to Know

An HR manager relocating a specialist to Bucharest under a D/AM1 visa is usually asked the same follow-up question within days: can my spouse work too? The honest answer is not a simple yes or no. A family reunification residence permit gets the spouse legally into Romania and lets them live alongside the assignee, but it does not, by itself, authorize employment. Work rights are a separate application, filed after arrival, and treating the two as one process is the most common reason a spouse's job offer stalls for weeks longer than expected.

This distinction matters more now that GEO 32/2026 has reshaped how non-EU nationals access Romania's labour market. The ordinance replaced the old employment and secondment permit system with two long-stay work visas, D/AM1 for highly qualified workers, specialists, and other special categories designated by law, and D/AM2 for permanent, seasonal, and cross-border workers hired into occupations on the shortage list, processed through the centralized WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform. GEO 32/2026 governs how the sponsoring employee gets authorized to work. It says nothing about the family members who follow them, because that question sits under a different, older piece of legislation: Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002 on the status of foreigners, the law that has always governed family reunification in Romania.

This article sets out what a D/AM1 or D/AM2 holder's spouse or dependent can and cannot do once they arrive, and the process for turning a family reunification permit into an actual right to work.

Who Qualifies as a Family Member for Reunification

Not every relative automatically qualifies to join a work permit holder in Romania. Under GEO 194/2002, a sponsor holding a valid basis for reunification, a temporary residence permit valid for at least one year, a long-term residence permit, an EU Blue Card, or an equivalent status, can bring:

• A spouse
• Minor children, including adopted children, of the sponsor or the spouse
• Adult dependent children who cannot support themselves due to a serious medical condition
• Dependent first-degree relatives in the ascending line, in limited circumstances

A D/AM1 or D/AM2 visa on its own does not automatically qualify the holder as a sponsor. The Romanian temporary residence permit issued after entry, the document that follows the visa once the worker registers with the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI), is what family reunification is anchored to, and it must generally be valid for one year or longer for the application to proceed.

The Financial and Documentary Threshold

IGI does not approve reunification automatically once the relationship is proven. The sponsor must also demonstrate the means to support the incoming family members, and the standard applied is income at or above the minimum gross wage level for each additional family member being brought to Romania. Alongside proof of income, the sponsor typically needs to show:

• Adequate housing for the family unit
• Health insurance coverage extending to the family members
• Civil documents proving the relationship, marriage certificate, birth certificates, apostilled or legalized and translated into Romanian

Because the income threshold scales per family member, a D/AM2 holder on a seasonal or shortage-occupation contract with a modest salary can find that bringing a spouse and two children requires a materially higher income than bringing a spouse alone. This is worth modeling before the assignment is finalized, not after the family reunification file is submitted and rejected on financial grounds.

The Process, Step by Step

Family reunification in Romania runs through two authorities in sequence, not one.

• The sponsor, already resident in Romania on the D/AM1 or D/AM2 basis, files the reunification request with IGI, supported by the income, housing, and relationship documentation
• Once IGI approves the request, the family members apply for a long-stay visa for family reunification (marked D/VF) at the Romanian embassy or consulate in their country of residence
• On arrival in Romania, each family member registers with IGI and applies for their own temporary residence permit for family reunification, generally valid for the same period as the sponsor's permit
• IGI applications are typically resolved within 30 days, though embassy visa appointment availability and document legalization can extend the overall timeline well beyond that

The family member's residence permit, once issued, is what makes them lawfully present in Romania. It is not, on its own, a work permit.

Can They Actually Work? The Part Most Assignments Miss

A holder of a family reunification residence permit is legally allowed to work in Romania, but only after obtaining a separate work authorization, the same category of permit any other non-EU national needs to take up employment. The family reunification status does not grant an exemption from that requirement, and it does not fast-track it.

In practice, this means the spouse's employer in Romania must go through the applicable route under GEO 32/2026 for that role: registering the position and applying via WorkinRomania.gov.ro if the role falls under D/AM1-type criteria, or using a licensed placement agency or an authorized employer if the position sits on the shortage occupations list under the D/AM2 route. The spouse needs:

• A valid employment contract with a Romanian employer, or an equivalent basis for authorized activity
• Proof of qualifications relevant to the role
• Registration and social security contribution arrangements once employment begins
• Annual renewal of the work authorization, tracked separately from the family residence permit's own renewal cycle

Working without this separate authorization, even while holding a valid family reunification residence permit, is unauthorized employment under Romanian law and carries the same exposure as any other undocumented work arrangement, for the individual and for the employer who hired them.

Why HR Teams Underestimate the Timeline

The failure point in most relocations is sequencing, not eligibility. Companies frequently assume that once the family reunification permit is issued, the spouse is immediately job-ready, and they extend a start date accordingly. In reality, the work authorization process for the spouse typically cannot begin in earnest until they are physically present in Romania and holding their own residence permit, which means it starts only after the family reunification chain above has already run its full course. Building in the work permit lead time as a distinct, sequential step, rather than assuming it runs in parallel, is what keeps a dual-career relocation from stalling at the point the second income was supposed to begin.

How Nestlers Group Supports Family and Dependent Work Authorization

Nestlers Group's Work Permit and Visa Support team manages both halves of this process in parallel where possible, securing the sponsoring employee's D/AM1 or D/AM2 authorization while preparing the family reunification file so the two tracks move as close together as Romanian procedure allows. The Immigration Advisory team models the income and documentation threshold against the family composition before the assignment is confirmed, so a shortfall is caught at the planning stage rather than at IGI's counter.

Once family members are in Romania, our Relocation and Destination Services team handles the practical steps around registration, housing proof, and civil document legalization that reunification applications depend on. Where a spouse has a job offer lined up, the Work Permit and Visa Support team, working alongside our Payroll and HR Compliance team, sets up the employer-side registration on WorkinRomania.gov.ro and the contribution arrangements needed to make that employment lawful from day one, rather than retrofitted after the fact.

For companies structuring the receiving employment itself, our Employer of Record service gives a spouse or dependent a compliant Romanian employer of record while the authorization is obtained, avoiding the delay of standing up a local entity just to formalize one hire.

Sources: Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002 on the status of foreigners in Romania; Government Emergency Ordinance no. 32/2026 on foreign nationals' access to the Romanian labour market; General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) family reunification procedure guidance; PwC Romania Tax & Legal Alert on GEO no. 32/2026; European Commission EU Immigration Portal - Family Member in Romania; Andreea Rainer Law - Family Reunification Visa Romania FAQ